A firm that runs on a system.
ARC CPA is a Halifax CPA firm. We do the monthly books for around 100 small businesses across Atlantic Canada, and the tax work that comes after.
Two partners, two divisions, one file.
ARC CPA is led by partners Riley Pohl, CPA, and Clem Forest-Leblanc. The firm is split into a bookkeeping division and a tax and accounting division, and both work from the same file for every client.
We are a virtual firm. The work happens online and meetings happen on Microsoft Teams, which is how we look after businesses right across Atlantic Canada from Halifax.
Most of our clients are incorporated, growing businesses, many of them in construction, real estate and hospitality. We do not compete on price. We compete on doing the work properly, every month, the same way.
Meet the team →The rules every client runs on.
Most accounting problems come from work done a different way each time. So we do it the same way for every client, every month. These are the rules we hold ourselves to, and the ones every client signs up for.
- 01
One system for every client
Every client’s books live in QuickBooks Online, with receipts coming in through Dext, and MileIQ for mileage where it applies. No exceptions, and no juggling five different programs. We hold QuickBooks ProAdvisor status and train on it every year, which is only worth something because every client is in the same place.
- 02
Monthly, every month
Every bookkeeping client is on monthly bookkeeping. There is no quarterly or annual version. Each month is closed by the end of the month that follows it, so the numbers are current whenever you need them.
- 03
A dedicated bookkeeper
You are matched to a bookkeeper who already works in your industry, and they stay your bookkeeper. It is a policy, not a preference: the same person every month, building a real understanding of how your business runs.
- 04
Categorised our way
Expenses are categorised to the structure we know is right for a business like yours, and books we inherit are recategorised to match. Consistent categories are what make this year comparable with last year.
- 05
Questions while you remember
Once a month you get a short list of anything we cannot explain from our side, asked within weeks of it happening rather than in April.
- 06
Books and tax under one roof
Our bookkeeping and tax divisions work from the same file. The tax team starts from books it knows are right, and our accountants review your statements against prior years.
- 07
We come to you first
We reach out months before a deadline, not after it. Before anything is filed we walk you through the numbers line by line, and afterwards you get a written summary of what you owe, when it is due and what is coming next.
- 08
The CRA deals with us
Every client adds ARC CPA as their authorized representative when they join, so the CRA talks to us and you do not have to.
- 09
Good books from day one
We never take catch-up work on its own. From the day you sign, your books run on the monthly system, and any backlog is caught up alongside it.
- 10
The price before the work
There is no price list, because no two businesses look the same once the accounts are open. You get the number in writing before any work starts.
Want your books run this way?
Send us a note about your business. A conversation is usually enough to tell whether we are a fit, and we will say so either way.